Tax refunds

A tax refund or tax rebate is the money that you get back from HRMC if you paid too much in tax. By law, if you're travelling to temporary workplaces and paying to make your own way there, you could get a tax refund. On average, a 4-year tax refund claimed through RIFT amounts to £2,500 or £2,000 per year for people in the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).

Tax returns

A tax return is how a taxpayer lets HMRC know their annual income, expenses and other personal circumstances. HMRC use it to calculate the tax you owe and claim tax allowances and tax reliefs you're entitled to. There are many reasons you may have to file a tax return, it's not just for the self-employed.

Advice

We’ve been helping people with the taxman since 1999. Our specialist teams work closely with HMRC to put the cash back in your pocket where it belongs. You can be sure that we know the rules inside out. Get in touch if you need help, it's what we're here for.

Our prices

We make our prices as simple as possible so that you don't find yourself with any unexpected bills for "hidden extras". All aftercare is included and any refund you get is covered by our RIFT Guarantee. There are no upfront charges. We'll handle everything with HMRC for you and even remind you when it's time to claim again next year.

About us

The RIFT Group is a family business based in Kent, founded by Jan Post in 1999. We're specialists in tax refunds and tax returns and we're the only company in our field to have been awarded the Institute of Customer Service "ServiceMark" for excellence in customer service. Get in touch to see how we can help you today.

Aftercare from RIFT​

Child Benefit and High Income

HMRC's rules for claiming tax refunds can sometimes be tough to get to get to grips with. Even small misunderstandings or gaps in the information you give can lead to serious problems down the road. That's why RIFT works so closely with our clients throughout the whole claims process. If you get tripped up by a tricky piece of red tape, we'll always be there to catch you. Here's an example of how we take care of you when you hit a bump in the road:

One of our clients, working offshore in the oil and gas industry, got in touch to sort out his 2016 refund claim. He was spending a lot of time and money travelling between home and the airport in Aberdeen. We handled his claim for him via a tax return, and he got his money within 3 weeks of us submitting it.

In November 2016, HMRC sent us a letter about some Child Benefit they thought our client was getting. Since his earnings were over £50,000 for the tax year, he was being hit with the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC). This charge basically cuts down the amount of Child Benefit you can get when you have a lot of money coming in. The more you earn, the less benefit you can claim.We got in touch with the client the same day, and asked him whether or not the taxman had his facts straight. The client hadn't mentioned the Child Benefit, as his wife had been claiming it and he didn't realise it mattered. Unfortunately, even if you aren't claiming Child Benefit yourself, you can still get caught by the HICBC if you're the higher earner.

Although the charge did apply, we were able to talk our client through his options. His earnings for the year came to £55,000, so he was still entitled to some Child Benefit. We suggested that he continue to claim the benefit, but pay back the excess at the end of the tax year. When RIFT completed his next claim, the Child Benefit could then be included on the tax return. Of course, the travel expenses claim would then reduce the amount of money he owed to HMRC.